VOLVO OCEAN RACE REDRAWS ROUTE DUE TO PIRACY CONCERNS
The escalating piracy problem in the Indian Ocean has forced organisers of
the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 to redraw the routes for the second and third
legs.

The boats were due to have sailed through an East African corridor in the
Indian Ocean on the second leg from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi and again in the
third leg from Abu Dhabi to Sanya in China but after taking advice from
marine safety experts and the sport's governing body, the International
Sailing Federation (ISAF), the routes have been changed.

The boats will now race from Cape Town to an undisclosed 'safe haven' port,
be transported closer to Abu Dhabi, and then complete the leg from there.
The process will be reversed for the third leg before the race continues on
to Sanya.

"This has been an incredibly difficult decision," said Volvo Ocean Race
Chief Executive Knut Frostad. "We have consulted leading naval and
commercial intelligence experts and their advice could not have been
clearer: 'Do not risk it.'

"The solution we have found means our boats will still be racing into Abu
Dhabi and competing in the in-port race there. Abu Dhabi is a very
important part of our plans, a real highlight being the race's first-ever
stopover in the Middle East, and we will now have a really exciting sprint
finish to the emirate over the New Year period as well." -- Full story:
http://tinyurl.com/VOR-081611

Q&A ON THE COURSE CHANGE DECISION
* The race starts in less than 80 days. Why leave this decision so late?

The situation in the Indian Ocean is dynamic and this decision has in fact
been taken very early. We will not know until the SW Monsoon abates and the
NE Monsoon becomes established in late October/early November how the
piracy situation will develop this season so while this decision appears
logistically late it is in fact tactically early.

* How will you be transporting the boats to Abu Dhabi?

The boats will be shipped on a specialised boat transport ship. The boats
and the crews will be transported separately.

* Where will the 'safe haven' be?

We understand there is lots of speculation about this but in the interests
of operational security, these details will be released at a later date
when it is appropriate.

* Where will the race start again?

This will not be decided until the tactical situation at the time has been
fully assessed but contingencies will be in place to provide logistical
support to different options.

* How can you guarantee the safety of the boats in the transport ship which
is carrying them?

LETHAL FORCE: Germany may soon authorize shipping companies to hire private
armed guards to defend vessels from Somali pirates. Currently one third of
German ships are estimated to be sailing in the western Indian Ocean with
guards on board, but the practice is only semi-legal. If a pirate were to
be killed in self-defense, the guard can be punished under German laws. --
Full report: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15325923,00.html

COMMENT: Ever since the route from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi was announced in
early 2010, Scuttlebutt had voiced concern given the extent of piracy
dangers at the time. The problem in the Indian Ocean was real then and has
only gotten worse. I applaud the VOR organizers for their decision that
lives are more important than the significant media exposure this route was
to provide. - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt editor

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THREE TIPS FOR SURVIVAL AT SEA
By Lenny Rudow, Boats.com
Becoming stranded on the water is every mariner's worst nightmare -but with
a little extra knowledge, you can survive at sea for extended periods of
time. So before you shove off on a long-distance cruise or head out to the
canyons for a fishing trip, commit these at-sea survival tips to memory.

1. How to "make" freshwater, while afloat in the ocean. Fresh water is the
most important item in the world when you're stranded at sea, and luckily,
with a piece of plastic, vinyl, or canvas, you can make your own. First,
roll the material into a cone shape, making it as large and wide as
possible. Then, insert the end of the cone into some sort of container; an
empty bottle, jar, can, or cup will do the trick. Let your cone-shaped
contraption sit out overnight, and at dawn, the inside of the cone will be
covered in dew. Shake or tap the cone so the dew droplets run down the
sides and into the container, and you have a life-giving freshwater drink
ready to keep you sustained. Bonus freshwater tip: when short on
freshwater, if you can catch a fish eat the eyes first - they're over
90-percent water!

2. Live off of seaweed. Hey, this might not be the most appetizing meal in
the world, but it'll fill the empty void in your stomach when nothing else
is available. Leafy green seaweeds are edible, and even sargassum can be
eaten. Seaweed is, however, very hard to digest and will do more harm than
good if eaten without sufficient drinking water and/or if it's not
thoroughly chewed. If you have a way to boil it first, this also helps
greatly with digestion.

YOUTH STARS OF TODAY
(August 18, 2011) - Thursday was the final of four days of racing on
Narragansett Bay at the 2011 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship in Newport,
R.I. This US SAILING National Championship regatta consists of top young
sailors from around the country in four classes, including the Club 420,
Laser, Laser Radial and 29er.

The four leading skippers after Wednesday held on to their respective leads
to win this elite championship. Lily Katz (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Fiona Walsh
(Rye, N.Y.) won the 36-team Club 420 fleet; Erika Reineke (Ft. Lauderdale,
Fla.), a member of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, won the 23-boat Laser
Radial fleet; Olin Paine (San Diego, Calif.) won the 18-boat Laser fleet;
and Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) and Conner Kelter (Newport Beach,
Calif.) took the 10-team 29er fleet.

SAILING SHORTS
* China Team, the Chinese challenger for the 34th America's Cup, has
decided to part ways with its skipper two-time Olympic medalist Mitch Booth
after the first AC World Series in Cascais, Portugal, last week. Booth, who
holds 11 multihull world titles, and was involved in the launch of the
Extreme Sailing Series, had been instrumental in helping launch the late
starting team. China Team is in the process of finalizing the recruitment
of another skipper to be announced shortly. --
http://www.americascup.com/en/Teams/China-Team/Latest/

* The entry deadline for the US SAILING Championship of Champions will
close on August 21. This event, which brings together current one design
class National, North American or World Champions, will be hosted by
Corinthian Sailing Club in Dallas, TX on October 19-22. Teams will compete
in Flying Scots. Current applicants include Ethan Bixby, Matt Fisher,
Michael Kiss, Chris Raab, and Dick Tillman. Details at
http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/CofC.htm

* (August 18, 2011) - For the first time in more than 50 years, the Rolex
Fastnet Race has a back-to-back handicap winner. Following on from her
victory under IRC in 2009, Niklas Zennstrom's Judel-Vrolijk designed 72ft
Ran (GBR) is once again the overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race and
the prestigious Fastnet Challenge Cup. Under IRC, Ran's time corrected out
to beat ICAP Leopard (GBR) by 4 hours, 38 minutes and 18 seconds, and Mike
Slade's 100 foot supermaxi in turn a massive 10 hours, 40 minutes ahead of
third placed Vanquish (USA), the Oakcliff All American Offshore Team's
STP65. -- Full story:
http://fastnet.rorc.org/news-2011/press-releases-2011/ran-first-back-to-bac
k-victory-in-50-years.html

* Marstrand, Sweden (August 18, 2011) - The 16 teams at the RC44 Sweden Cup
began the fleet racing portion of the event on the sidelines waiting for
breeze, which stayed long enough to complete one race and it was Team
Ceeref - led by tactician Michele Ivaldi (ITA) and helmsman Igor Lah (SLO)
- who continued their great form to take the only race win of the day.
Friday is expected to be a very different sailing day in Marstrand, with
winds due to increase throughout the day, which should make for some
exciting racing and great viewing for the expected crowds. -- Full story:
http://www.rc44.com/news/view/snakes_and_ladders

* The annual Puddle Duck Racer World Championship race is right around the
corner, this year it is being hosted at Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma, USA on
October 8, 2011. Many puddle duckers have already signed up for the race
with over 40 hulls scheduled to compete in the main race. The Puddle Duck
Racer is a fast growing sailboat club where members build their own boat
and then compete with them in fun and goofy ways, and sometimes in very
serious conventional buoy racing. The Puddle Duck Racer is the easiest boat
in the world to build. --
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12387

* Global sports production and distribution company USP Content has been
appointed as official radio provider to the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, which
starts on 29 October in Alicante, Spain. USP will provide live and
pre-recorded audio coverage for the entirety of the race directly from Race
Headquarters in Alicante, ports of call en route and from on board the
boats themselves. Hundreds of radio stations across the continents are
being accredited to update millions of listeners on the latest news,
conditions and race standings - in multiple languages reflecting the
diversity of nationalities taking part in the Race. --
http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/home.html

* Abandoned vessels may have become an unofficial indicator of the tough
economy. While no exact national figures exist, authorities in most states
with a coast or large body of water have reported increasing numbers of
boat owners abandoning ship in recent years. South Carolina is among dozens
of state and local governments that have recently increased penalties
against owners of abandoned vessels. Removal fees range from $3,000 to
$20,000, depending on the size of the boat. -- Read more:
http://tinyurl.com/42qjg73

* Australian Bruce Arms has claimed to have established a new world-record
for sailing solo, non-stop and unassisted around Australia. The two-time
winner of the Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Race completed his journey 79 hours
and 27 minutes ahead of the existing record of 42 days 5 hours 33 minutes.
The yacht - Big Wave Rider - was built by Bruce, and is also the first
multi-hull vessel of its kind to complete the non-stop voyage. His attempt
is yet to be ratified by race officials; current record holder is Ian
Thomson of England. -- Full story:
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/08/18/3296660.htm

INDUSTRY REPORT FROM JK3
National brokerage yacht sales are up substantially, reaching a four year
high this past June! Not only are there more boats being sold, but the
average value of the boats sold is the highest it's been since 2007. Here
at JK3, we've been seeing a dramatic increase in both new and brokerage
sales, and sales have more than doubled since last year!. JK3 is looking
for quality brokerage listings to keep up with the demand. If you have a
boat you'd like to sell, give us a call in San Diego (619-224-6200),
Newport Beach (949-675-8053), or San Francisco (619-709-0697).
http://www.jk3yachts.com

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt
include polarization, big, recruitment, summer fun, trifocal, bamm, pink
(ugh!), and cheating the nursing home. Here are this week's photos:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/11/0819/

SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the
Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor:
mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
With 25 knots registering on the committee boat, the historic the Heavy
Weather Laser Slalom returned to San Francisco for the wildest ride on the
Bay. The talent-stacked fleet included international competitors from 16
years old to 70-something, with anything from 40 years Laser sailing
experience to six years. With no room for error in this double elimination
regatta, spectacular - and frequent - crashes throughout the fleet made for
tense moments on and off the course. Click here for this week's video:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/11/0819/

BONUS: For the first time, Chicago Match Race Center brought its
world-class match racing operation to downtown Chicago, showing off the
skills of the world's top ranked sailors to the public at the end of Navy
Pier alongside the Tall Ships. Sun, storms and lots of wind made this
year's show all the more dramatic: http://youtu.be/o3ZtDxSCvp4

BONUS: With the Extreme Sailing Series being the first to establish a
stadium sailing circuit for 40 foot catamarans, it seemed rude that the
inaugural America's Cup World Series event was scheduled at the same time
as the ESS stop in Cowes, UK. But then again, the America's Cup has not
always been known for good manners. ESS boss Mark Turner provides an
update:
http://www.yachtracing.biz/blog/2011/08/mark-turner-extreme-sailing-video/

BONUS: This week's "World on Water" Weekly Global Sailing Video News Report
covers the RNLI rescue of the 21 crew from Rambler 100 after its capsize in
the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race, England, the results of the Americas Cup World
Series in Cascais, Portugal, The 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race England, Act 5 of
the Extreme Sailing Series Cowes England, the start of Leg two of the
Clipper Round the World Race Madeira, Portugal, the last of Cowes Week
England, and much more. This week's show is uploaded to www.boatson.tv
approx. 1200 BST Friday Aug 19.

SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week,
send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com

GUEST COMMENTARY
Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community.
Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted
comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250
words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should
save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.

* From Chuck Driscoll, Chairman, 2011 Etchells World Championship:
In Scuttlebutt 3408, there was a guest commentary about towing fees for the
2011 Etchells Worlds. It should be pointed out that San Diego Yacht Club
provided towing free of charge, and that any towing fees paid were by
sailors that had arranged their own private tows. The RC boat Corinthian
and a volunteer member's boat Keet both were set up with tow lines. It
should also be noted that four out of the top eleven finishers in the
Worlds were registered in the Corinthian fleet.

* From Ed Vitrano:
While I have enjoyed the internet coverage and upgraded graphics provided
for the AC World Series, this week's coverage on Versus, particularly the
first 30 minutes, was so chopped that it was difficult to watch. Perhaps it
was intended for those who enjoy televised rock concerts where one's
ability to view an angle for more than a nano-second is challenged.

Enough of the computer geek who likes to "enhance" the shot. Too much of
the "Facebook Generation?" Watching the 45's rocket through the water
reminds me of watching a Formula 1 race car built for optimum efficiency.
Sweet!

* From Mal Emerson:
I would have to agree with Manfred in Scuttlebutt 3408 - the helicopters
are environmentally unfriendly in respect to the fuel consumed and the
noise. They are annoying to the internet audience and so must be downright
maddening to the competitors.

Though I really liked the superimposed lines on the live shot, Virtual Eye
is getting so good, it almost suffices. Virtual Eye complimented with on
the water shots skillfully blended by a sailing savvy producer would be
nearly as good when the choppers couldn't fly. A single quiet fixed wing
with a stabilized lens would get the wide view as well as a swarm of noisy
choppers. All sorts of other camera innovations could be tried from
stabilized cameras on boats with towers following the action to tethered
balloons to remotely piloted vehicles. The tech is certainly there to
eliminate the helicopters.

The individual boat shots from directly above are OK but really just
gratuitous eye candy and undoubtedly the most intrusive of the camera
angles. At the minimum, they would provide much less interference by flying
in only fixed positions/orbits well away from the sailing. At the maximum I
believe they could be eliminated all together.

COMMENT: I will continue to pound my position that the aerial angles are
vital for viewer perspective. Perhaps drones would suffice, as they should
be cleaner, quieter, and able to fly in overcast skies when the helicopters
are grounded. - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt editor

* From Andrew Troup, New Zealand:
Regarding Rambler 100 losing its keel, I'm averse to fingerpointing,
especially when it's premature, but I have to register my disappointment
and perplexity at the failure of yet another canting keel.

Most such failures up to the present date appear to have been due to
lateral loads. My comments will be pertinent only if this latest failure
was due to such loads -- as opposed to grounding or collision loads, faulty
manufacture, or incorrect assembly, say. I think it can be safely assumed
that the problem in this instance was not budgetary in origin...

A canting keel is perhaps the only major component of a sailing yacht whose
sideways loads can be confidently quantified, and (given appropriate
hydraulic design) rigorously limited. I won't restate my reasons for making
this claim. I've previously sketched them out both here and on the Dock
Talk forum:
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6829

Fore-and-aft loads are a different matter, but the relative proportions are
so much in favour of the stresses in that plane that the loads arising from
sailing, even in the worst case, should not ever reach a threshold which
could initiate fatigue cracking.

* From Brent Boyd:
I am sure it has crossed his mind, but I think Mr. David (Rambler owner)
should write a check to cover the million pounds needed to rehab the RNLI
life saving station. That would be making a statement, expressing
gratitude, and honoring the RNLI which is 100% volunteer and not government
funded.

CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
Regular naps prevent old age, especially if you take them while driving.